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The research, endorsed by the
Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, one of the charity’s presidents,
states the roots of happiness lie in stability and calm at home.

But it also said material possessions
have a significant impact, with iPods, designer trainers, satellite TV
and ‘the right clothes’ regarded as vital elements of a child’s
well-being.

The findings run counter to its
previous studies. Three years ago the Children’s Society published a
report in which it said children do best when brought up by two parents
with a long-term commitment to each other, and warned that co-habiting
relationships were more likely to break up and damage children.

Yesterday’s report, however, said it was not important that children lived with their birth parents.

It declared: ‘It is not the structure, but the relationships within a family that children care about. Loving relationships between a child and their family are ten times more powerful than family structure in increasing well-being.

‘Our research shows that the quality of children’s relationships with their families is far more important than the particular structure of the family that they live in.’ But it continued: ‘Stability is important. Children who experience a change in family members they are living with are twice as likely to experience low well-being.

'The quality if children's relationships with their families is far more important than the particular structure of the family they live in'

‘In general, children living with both
birth parents in the same house have higher levels of well-being than
children living in other family arrangements. However this is not
necessarily comparing like with like.

‘Children
not living with both birth parents are also much more likely to have
experienced recent family change, which is also an important factor
associated with levels of well-being.’

The
report also found material factors were of deep importance. ‘Children
in families who have experienced a reduction in income are more likely
to have low well-being,’ it said.

‘Children who do not have clothes to “fit in” with peers are more than three times as likely to be unhappy with their appearance. Around a third say they often worry about the way they look.’

The society produced an ‘index of material well-being’ to measure ‘items and experiences which children feel are important for them to have a “normal” childhood’. The list included designer trainers and cable or satellite TV at home.

Family holidays were also listed on the well-being index as one of the things children need to consider themselves happy

Launching the report yesterday, Dr Sentamu said: ‘We should see this report not as simply an interesting piece of research but an urgent clarion call to action. Can we move beyond narrow measures of human success such as health and financial security to ask harder questions about personal fulfilment or what is known as subjective well-being – in other words people’s contentment with their life as a whole?’

But there was criticism from campaigners for family life.

Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘It is disturbing that a report published by a charity dedicated to encouraging policies that promote the welfare of children should have nothing to say about the positive and protective value of marriage.

‘There is a mountain of evidence that demonstrates that children living with their own married parents tend to have fewer emotional and behavioural problems, enjoy better health, do better academically, and have lower levels of stress, depression and anxiety.

‘Since subjective well-being is notoriously difficult to define and even harder to measure, there is no basis for asserting on the basis of a study of this nature that family structure has little or no effect on a child’s well-being.’

Researcher and author Jill Kirby said: ‘The best guardian of stability for children is having two married parents. The Children’s Society is ignoring that in favour of a materialistic disposable society.’